I am interested in reading some philosophy books and learning. Also some good romantic tragedy sounds good.?

Question

And don't tell me to go to the library. If I knew what I wanted to read, I wouldn't ask for advice now would I?

Also, I am not interested in religious readings. Not to sound rude, they just don't appeal to me.

Answer 1

I can't really answer on the romantic tragedy, but as for the philosophy.

The main book that I recommend is the Tao of Pooh. It gives a great understanding of Taoism, a belief that I hold to very strongly. The book isn't so deep or boring that you can't get into it as a layman and if you like Pooh, the humor that's added is great.

Another book that I really enjoyed is Conversations with God. It gives an interesting perspective on how God might be seen and some great beliefs thrown in.

If you ever want to get into the deeper stuff, feel free to ask. There is a lot that you can read depending on where you want to go in your learning.

Love as always,

Sebastian

Answer 2

This sounds trite, but Philosophy for Dummies. Dummies books are pretty good on the average.

Zen - "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" by Reps/Senzaki is a teeny-tiny little book with some terrific little Zen stories in it.

Confucianism - "The Essential Confucius" by Cleary gives you a good overview of the philosophy.

Hinduism - "The Song of God; Bhavagad-Gita" by Prabhavananda and Isherwood is one of the supporting texts of Hinduism. It's sometimes called "The Gita."

Existentialism - "The Age of Reason" by Jean Paul Sarte is an interesting read that stresses individual responsibility. Oddly, existentialism and Buddhism are similar in that way.

Enlightenment (of Europe) - "Candide" by Voltaire is a hilarious mockery of englightenment thinking which said that everything was for the best. (It's funny even if you're not up on your philosophy of Voltaire's day.)

For the romantic tragedies, I'm going to concentrate on modern lit. "Angels and Insects" by A.S. Byatt, "Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro and "The Light of Day" by Graham Swift are all by British writers. You might also try Toni Morrison's "Jazz."

By the way, "Pyramus and Thisbe" is the original story that "Romeo and Juliet" was based upon; it's also the play-within-a-play of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Answer 3

The story of philosophy : by Will Durant is a good starting point for philosophical reading giving you an overview of Western philosophy over the past 2000 years
As for romantic comedy , i am not sure which books come under this genre : but Anna Karenina by Tolstoy is a good book
You may also look for DH Lawrence
Happy reading

Answer 4

Try Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. It is a novel that presents her philosophy very well. In a way it is also a Romantic Tragedy.

For pure Romantic Tragedy, try reading Sir Walter Scott's: Ivanhoe. Sir Thomas Malory is also extraordinary with his: Le Morte de Arthur and is arguably, the best version of the Arthurian legends.

Answer 5

Great thought!
Well, I have read several from several philosophies!
What was among the most dynamic and easy to read are:
Letters, etc., of Epicurus, also books written about Epicurus
Plato's: Republic, Timeo, Symposium
Comedies of Aristophanes
Plays of Euripides
Aesop's Fables
They are so pleasant that you will learn, be wiser, excited, happy that it will be unbelievable! You will become a better, happier, smarter and wiser person! They show the real way and life!
After those, I can advice for some more!
I think that among the best books ever written, in not the best are:
Homer: Iliad (by far the best book ever written) and Odyssey
Hesiod: Works and Days, Theogony (it is difficult due to names, philosophical content, etc.)
Aristotle, most of his books are great but "difficult"!
Drama writers, like Sophocles, Aeschylus, etc.

Answer 6

I'm not sure what you mean by romantic tragedy, but you can always try Romeo and Juliet. From what I understand Nicholas Sparks does a lot of tearjerker romances that may be close to what you're looking for.
As far as philosophy goes, I would seriously consider googling then looking at recommendations from the sites that pop up.

Answer 7

An amazing philosophy book is "Zen and the Art of motorcycle maintenance" a romantic tragedy is "wuthering heights" by Emily Bronte

Answer 8

Joostien Gardner is an excellent beginning for Philosophy. The Solitaire Mystery is a good beginning then move on to Sophie's World. Look it up on amazon.com. Really good reading!

Answer 9

You can start with Lou Marinoff's Plato, Not Prozac! and The Big Questions. Both offer insights on practical philosophy. Enjoy!

Answer 10

For romantic tragedy, the momma of them all is "Whuthering Heights", and I also suggest "The Mill on the Floss". Eighteenth century English literature is crammed with great romantic tragedy titles.